Re: Silver Screen, the General Movie Discussion

I thought the last Mission Impossible was really good, full of action and lots of cool gadgets plus great locations. Probably my 2nd favorite in the MI series after MI3.

Sam - I really felt like there were not a lot of good movies this year because I could recall only a handful that I watched in the cinema. People are more into downloading movies now which is great because its free. You can download HD films and with a good size TV that should be enough. The drawback there is that when people stop paying to watch movies, producers wont have the money to produce great movies or even come up with the movie itself. For me, it if its a movie that's highly anticipated (like Dark Knight Rises) then I dont mind shelling out a few hundred pesos for IMAX to watch it.

Maybe when Hollywood stops doing things like paying Tom Cruise $20 million a picture and tickets in our country don't cost P200 a pop then people will stop dowloading free movies, hahaha!

Re: Silver Screen, the General Movie Discussion

It had to happen. For female politicians, invoking the name of Margaret Thatcher at a crucial time in your campaign is one of the canniest, most clichéd and most predictable of tactics.

What’s surprising about Michele Bachmann is that it took her so long.

As America’s “iron lady,” Bachmann told Iowans several times during the run-up to the caucuses, she would “stand up for the free market, stand up for job creation, and turn our economy back round so that we also can have tremendous job growth.” You can turn the economy around, Bachmann says, if you just have “the will and the resolve to do it.” Easy.

Now her most recent ads, broadcast at the conclusion of her campaign in Iowa, also claim that Bachmann is not only made of iron, but has a “titanium spine.” It seems unlikely that Bachmann remembers that Thatcher once accused a Conservative colleague of having a spine that did not reach his brain, but who knows?

Michele Bachmann is certainly not the first wannabe Margaret Thatcher. The nickname Iron Lady — not so affectionately bestowed by the Soviets — quickly spawned imitations around the world in the 1980s and 1990s, inspiring labels that juxtaposed femininity with strength: the Steel Magnolia, the Iron Butterfly and even, in Australia, the Steel Sheila.

In the 1980s, few women could enter politics in western countries without being asked if they were like Margaret Thatcher. The very term “iron lady” reveals a basic discomfort with women in power – they must not be like other women to succeed, they must be like steel, iron, titanium. Just like another great cliché – the iron fist in the velvet glove – metal is somehow encased in the softness of a woman’s body.

It’s part of our grand Western tradition of taming, patronizing or marveling at female politicians. Their authority and exercise of power is too often depicted as surprising, secondary, or, in this case, appropriately severe. Toughness and decisiveness, it is implied, do not come naturally to women.

The problem is that when most women compare themselves to this Thatcher it is usually a reminder of how unlike her they are. Thatcher was actually a pragmatic world leader who was deeply schooled in free-market philosophy and kept her faith largely private. As a young politician, she did not balk at supporting the legalization of homosexuality, nor at widening access to abortion (she voted for it “under controlled conditions” in the early months). She was not a moral crusader – unlike Bachmann.

We also forget that Thatcher was a chemist and a barrister who was in politics for 16 years before leading her party, and 20 before leading the country. Bachmann has served in Congress for five.

Thatcher simply outworked and outshone those alongside her. She thrived on work, and was fond of grilling disheveled, tipsy cabinet colleagues at 3 a.m. on some of the finer points of policy. Journalists cooed about her legs and porcelain skin endlessly – Christopher Hitchens described her as surprisingly sexy — but this meant little. One member of her cabinet, John Biffen, described her as a “tigress surrounded by hamsters.”

Thatcher won an intellectual battle with a consistently coherent free-market capitalist political philosophy that conflated, defined and rebranded classic liberal ideas in her own name, as Thatcherism: low taxes, low spending, free markets, anti-union, pro-deregulation and privatization. Yet in so many discussions in American politics, Thatcher is described simply as a cartoonishly tough, freakishly successful woman.
Now her specter is looming even larger given Meryl Streep’s dazzling performance in the film “The Iron Lady.” In an attempt to humanize her, the film depicts an extraordinarily successful leader as a demented, forlorn and slightly regretful old woman.

If Bachmann has seen the movie, she will know that despite Streep’s fine efforts, the film is a travesty, reducing the longest serving British prime minister of the past century to a tetchy political anomaly. As she suffers from dementia, her entire career is viewed through flashbacks of a woman who sees apparitions and hears things. The moments of her greatest triumph – winning the leadership of the Tories in 1975, and her three consecutive election victories – are glossed over or forgotten. She seems merely cranky and determined.

In fact, she was stroppy, as the British say — rather belligerent and easily annoyed.

The film focuses not on the acuteness of Thatcher’s mental faculties, but the loss of them. So much so that rather than providing an inspiring example of what women can do, it serves as a cautionary tale about women who work, who might in their old age wonder if their families suffered for their now foggily remembered achievements. It was depressing.

Bachmann’s bid for the title of Iron Lady is understandable given the desire of the American public for effective, strong leadership at a time of recession, the longstanding love of Republicans for Churchill as well as the fact that we don’t want any politicians to be spineless. “The lady’s not for turning,” Thatcher defiantly told her Conservative colleagues in 1980, when she refused to change course on the economy. But we hardly hanker for a lady who is for turning.

Perhaps Bachmann will need to rely on some of the former prime minister’s resolve as the primaries roll on in the coming weeks. “Defeat?” Thatcher said. “I do not recognize the meaning of the word.”

Re: Silver Screen, the General Movie Discussion

^ I'm looking forward to the Avengers movie as well. I'm curious to see if they can oull it off because so far they've pulled off the individual hero stories ably enough. I wonder however who else other than the mainstay Avengers like Thor, Ironman and Captain America will be on the team. They need a woman there, a known mainstay from the comins, and I'm not sure if Wasp or Captain Marvel (not Shazam) or Scarlet Witch are in the works.

Re: Silver Screen, the General Movie Discussion

More Movies to look forward in 2012
Source: Read ME

1. The Dark Knight Rises

This is the number one most anticipated film on a number of lists on the web at the moment, and with good reason. With the last two Batman films, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, being such big hits, and with the latter being left on such a cliffhanger, it's no wonder that fans are eager for the conclusion.

This one is set eight years after the last. Batman has not surfaced since taking the blame for Harvey Dent's crimes, though he is forced to return after terrorist leader Bane arrives, overwhelming Gotham City and pushing the police force to its limits.

2. The Hunger Games

Slated for a March release, The Hunger Games is one of the most talked about films of the moment, it being based on the Suzanne Collins novel of the same name.

The movie is set in a dystopian future in the nation of Panem, which lies atop the ruins of what was once North America. The regime randomly selects a boy and a girl between the ages 12 and 18 from each of the 12 districts, and pits them against each other in a ruthless kill-or-be-killed competition until only one is left standing.

It should certainly offer as much drama as the harrowing novel does.

3. Skyfall

The 23rd James Bond film is set for release this October, following its suspended production throughout 2010 due to film studio MGM's financial problems.

Daniel Craig, who has won plenty of acclaim for his performance as the iconic agent, will reprise the role for this film, while Judi Dench is confirmed to take on the role of M once again.

Craig has stated that the Skyfall plot will be unrelated to the previous two Bond films, and will instead see 007 question his loyalty to M after the ghost of her past come back to wreak havoc in the present-day MI6.

4. The Avengers

Many of the recent Marvel Comics releases (Captain America, Thor, Iron Man) have been setting the scene for this, the movie that will bring these characters together as a super-human fighting force known as SHIELD.

Robert Downey Jr. will reprise his role as Tony Stark, meaning that the film is almost guaranteed to have at least one good performance. Much is riding on this super-film, given that the last few Marvel releases have seen lackluster reviews.

5. The Amazing Spider-Man

Despite the last Spider-Man film having only wrapped things up in 2007, Hollywood has seen fit to re-boot the franchise and start again, from the moment Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider, with an entirely new cast and crew.

In contrast to the lighter tone offered by the previous films, The Amazing Spider-Man promises to be darker in mood, with Peter Parker grappling with the traumas of his past and coming to terms with the responsibilities of possessing his amazing abilities.

6. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Ever since Peter Jackson's epic Lord of the Rings trilogy ended in 2003, fans and critics have been crying out for a film version of the preceding story, The Hobbit. After much toing and froing, and another director agreeing to joing the project and then dropping out, production began with Jackson at the helm last year.

The story follows a younger Bilbo Baggins, played by Marting Freeman, as he joins Gandalf on a new adventure that will change him forever. Much of the production crew from The Lord of the Rings has returned for this film, meaning it should be evry bit as enjoyable as the original trilogy was.

7. Prometheus

The premise of Ridley Scott's lastest science fiction epic was originally intended to be a prequel to 1979's Alien, though massive script changes resulted in this film taking a form of its own. Scott has said that the plot will share elements with the Alien universe, though it also has its own mythology to explore.

The trailer is particularly sketchy in details, offering only the premise that the crew of the Prometheus are exploring what appears to be the ruins of an extraterrestrial race, uncovering a dark horror that threatens humanity. However, the story pans out, though, it's almost certain that the film will be one of the summer's biggest blockbusters.

Re: Silver Screen, the General Movie Discussion

Originally Posted by fujima04

More Movies to look forward in 2012
Source: Read ME

1. The Dark Knight Rises

This is the number one most anticipated film on a number of lists on the web at the moment, and with good reason. With the last two Batman films, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, being such big hits, and with the latter being left on such a cliffhanger, it's no wonder that fans are eager for the conclusion.

This one is set eight years after the last. Batman has not surfaced since taking the blame for Harvey Dent's crimes, though he is forced to return after terrorist leader Bane arrives, overwhelming Gotham City and pushing the police force to its limits.

2. The Hunger Games

Slated for a March release, The Hunger Games is one of the most talked about films of the moment, it being based on the Suzanne Collins novel of the same name.

The movie is set in a dystopian future in the nation of Panem, which lies atop the ruins of what was once North America. The regime randomly selects a boy and a girl between the ages 12 and 18 from each of the 12 districts, and pits them against each other in a ruthless kill-or-be-killed competition until only one is left standing.

It should certainly offer as much drama as the harrowing novel does.

3. Skyfall

The 23rd James Bond film is set for release this October, following its suspended production throughout 2010 due to film studio MGM's financial problems.

Daniel Craig, who has won plenty of acclaim for his performance as the iconic agent, will reprise the role for this film, while Judi Dench is confirmed to take on the role of M once again.

Craig has stated that the Skyfall plot will be unrelated to the previous two Bond films, and will instead see 007 question his loyalty to M after the ghost of her past come back to wreak havoc in the present-day MI6.

4. The Avengers

Many of the recent Marvel Comics releases (Captain America, Thor, Iron Man) have been setting the scene for this, the movie that will bring these characters together as a super-human fighting force known as SHIELD.

Robert Downey Jr. will reprise his role as Tony Stark, meaning that the film is almost guaranteed to have at least one good performance. Much is riding on this super-film, given that the last few Marvel releases have seen lackluster reviews.

5. The Amazing Spider-Man

Despite the last Spider-Man film having only wrapped things up in 2007, Hollywood has seen fit to re-boot the franchise and start again, from the moment Peter Parker is bitten by a radioactive spider, with an entirely new cast and crew.

In contrast to the lighter tone offered by the previous films, The Amazing Spider-Man promises to be darker in mood, with Peter Parker grappling with the traumas of his past and coming to terms with the responsibilities of possessing his amazing abilities.

Sadly Dark Knight Rises will be the last of the Cris Nolan series. He should make 1 more and feature Manbat and Hush as the villains.

I dont think the Hobbit will generate earnings.

Im eagerly waiting for Skyfall. I have all the James Bond films and they should BRING back Q for goodness sake. Plus they also should revert to the 60's style Bond complete with painted Bond movie posters. Sean Connery is still the best.

Re: Silver Screen, the General Movie Discussion

From Yahoo Entertainment ___

'John Carter' Loss Expected to Be $200M

By Joshua L. Weinstein

"John Carter" is now an official flop.

The Walt Disney Co. on Monday acknowledged in a statement that the movie's poor performance at the box office likely will force Disney to take a $200 million writedown. The company expects its studio divison will post an operating loss of as much as $120 million in the second fiscal quarter of this year.

"John Carter," based on an Edgar Rice Burroughs character, was made for about a quarter-billion dollars;marketing costs were another $100 million on top of that. But the movie grossed only $30.2 million domestically during its first weekend of release, taking in a measly $13.5 million its second.

The picture was brighter overseas, grossing around $126 million abroad in the 10 days since its March 9 release.

“In light of the theatrical performance of John Carter ($184 million global box office), we expect the film to generate an operating loss of approximately $200 million during our second fiscal quarter ending March 31," the company said in a statement. "As a result, our current expectation is that the studio segment will have an operating loss of between $80 and $120 million for the second quarter."

The writedown means "John Carter" is one of history's biggest flops.

It rates alongside such stinkers as "Mars Needs Moms," a 2011 movie that cost $150 million to make and grossed $39 million worldwide; "Ishtar," the 1987 disaster that cost $55 million to make and grossed $14 million domestically and "Heaven's Gate," the 3 hour 39 minute 1980 bomb that cost $44 million to make and grossed $3.48 million domestically.

Even before "John Carter" arrived in theaters, Hollywood had labeled it a bomb. Early on, there were wide reports that the sci-fi extravaganza had gone over budget and required many costly reshoots. An uninspired trailer only made the situation worse.

The costly reshoots, lack of a recognizable star, the director's inexperience with live action -- "John Carter" is director Andrew Stanton's first live-action movie -- and Disney's marketing compounded the problems. Disney's former marketing chief MT Carney exited a few months before the movie's release, leaving it to incoming marketing chief Ricky Strauss to usher the movie into theaters.

"John Carter" stars Taylor Kitsch as a Confederate soldier who finds himself transported to Mars, where he becomes involved in an alien war. The movie had long been in development with several filmmakers deeming it unfilmmable before Stanton got the project.

Taking the hit, the studio pointed to upcoming movies with presumably happier fates in store.

"As we look forward to the second half of the year, we are excited about the upcoming releases of 'The Avengers' and 'Brave,' which we believe have tremendous potential to drive value for the Studio and the rest of the company,” Disney said.

Re: Silver Screen, the General Movie Discussion

^^^ John Carter's biggest problem is that it is a remake.

Of Scorpion King.

Check it out:

1. Big bad-arsed buff good guy who basically is a reluctant hero, who gets forced into being a hero because of his big fluffy do-gooder heart, although he was actually looking to score on abig pay day, played a by a relative unknown in the big epic action hero genre

2. Enigmatic female lead sporting a gratuitously bikini-edition outfit thr entire time she is onscreen, who sort of uses the unwilling hero first to further her own personal agenda but in actuality a huge "big picture" greater good kind of deal

3. Pure evil, seemingly invincible / unbeatable over-the-top bad guy with some sort of special power that must be overcome with not just brawn but brain and big brass balls

4. Lots of sword play over lots of desert, with an oppressed and/or unimportant tribe who later on act as the cavalry for the lead character, led by a chieftain who somehow befriends or becomes a surrogate father for the lead character

Re: Silver Screen, the General Movie Discussion

From the Los Angeles Times ___

Movie review: '21 Jump Street'

The only thing "21 Jump Street" takes even remotely seriously is high school. Everything else is punch line material — including the Johnny Depp TV series that was its inspiration and the two undercover police rookies now at its center, played with a great goofball gusto by Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum.

As Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko (Tatum), this odd couple is inept from the beginning and ideal for the slap-happy sensibility of co-directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. The college filmmaking buddies have turned their off-center humor into a full-time job more innocently with 2009's animated adaptation of kids' book "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," more provocatively with the mind-melding irreverence of the MTV animated series "Clone High." Miller and Lord clearly understand the push-and-pull and hyper-competitiveness that make guy friendships both complex and stupid. That it comes to life so fully in "21 Jump Street" is what gives the film an endearing, punch-you-in-the-arm-because-I-like-you-man charm.

In a slow wind-up that fortunately doesn't last too long, we get a glimpse of the guys in their own high school daze. Schmidt the nerd with bleached hair and braces, Jenko the cool jock with failing grades. A few disappointments later they reconnect during their cop training days, this time joining forces so Schmidt can pass the physical stuff and Jenko the written exams.

Once the background business is finally over — including their inglorious bike patrol assignment and a botched arrest — the now best buddies get assigned to 21 Jump Street, an undercover operation housed in the sanctuary of a condemned church with its Korean Jesus above the altar keeping an eye on things and a trash-talking Ice Cube as the captain running the show. For those who don't know the basics of the legendary series that launched Depp, the boys are sent back to high school disguised as students to catch bad guys trying to corrupt kids.

Depp's "Street" was more crime-and-punishment drama, though his brow was slightly arched even then. The reimagined "21" is total comic farce, with Schmidt and Jenko assigned to ferret out the supplier of a new designer drug that is incredibly potent — its crazed effect chronicled by one student YouTube style. Written by the very busy Michael Bacall, the quirky mind who had a hand in the current"Project X" nerd party and co-wrote the inventive"Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," "Jump Street" features his peppery sarcasm and his trademark fourth-wall breaking antics with pop-art splashes dropped in as commentary/context for fun.

As fate and the filmmakers would have it, Jenko and Schmidt are assigned to the very high school they graduated from, which means a second chance to do things differently. Always the jokester, Jenko switches their identities during their meet-and-greet with the principal, with Jenko playing the science nerd and Schmidt the track star and drama club king. Oh, and they're supposed to be brothers, which means they move back in with Schmidt's mom and dad.

Tatum and Hill turn out to be even better partners than Jenko and Schmidt. Though Tatum is rock hard and Hill is squishy soft, both bring a kind of vulnerability to their characters that makes whatever mayhem they are up to OK. Hill, in particular, knows how to swing between pretension and panic with the greatest of ease.

Those qualities serve to bring an unexpected introspection as the guys rewind and replay their high school experience with all the ego and angst of the first time, and theoretically the wisdom of age. Just about everything on the teen issue checklist turns up at some point — the out-of-control party, the cute girl (Brie Larson) whom Schmidt wants to take to the prom, the cool dude (Dave Franco) who deals on the side, and all the big, bad bruisers the boys are supposed to take down.

That the school play that Schmidt tries out for is"Peter Pan"is not a random choice. Indeed there are sly, knowing references scattered throughout the film that reward you for paying attention even as lunacy and total anarchy unfold. Which brings us to the freewheeling action excesses that director of photography Barry Peterson ("Starsky & Hutch") captures with such comic verve.

As Jenko and Schmidt struggle with their shifting emotions and the pressures that the high school role-playing puts on their relationship, the conflicts nearly always trigger some kind of major action episode with wild car chases, shootouts and a lot of wrestling of the exceedingly awkward sort that boys do. But then things never quite turn out as planned for this bumbling pair, which is actually just fine.